True Love (or, rather, In Your Face, Aphrodite!)
by BookButterfly11
Summary: Basically, Reyna finds love. It won't be very long, and characters other than Reyna, my OC, and sort-of Aphrodite won't really be present. I'm going to try to finish it up in two or three longish chapters, but the first might be the longest...and if you know me, you know my author's notes...so be prepared. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Gosh, it's been forever since I've updated anything, hasn't it? Anyways, I started this Reyna thing a while ago, when I was thinking about getting a fanfiction account and actually writing some, and here's what I have so far. Hope you like it!**

Reyna sat on the roof, feet dangling over the edge. Despite what most people thought, she did have a rebellious streak. Most demigods did. Even the ones who happened to be praetors. She tipped her chin up and drank in the stars. She took a deep breath and the scent of wood burning made a small smile curve her lips. It was bonfire night, a tradition the Greeks had brought over. But it was generally an activity for couples. Reyna didn't belong.

Her heart ached as she recalled the goddess's words. _You will not find love where you wish or hope. No demigod shall heal your heart._ But the wound was old now. Like a slap at first, now leaving an ugly bruise. It didn't seem to be going away.

Reyna remembered Piper's words, too. But they were no longer so soothing. It was a dull pain. Just there. Existing. Piper had tried, but she had found love with Jason, and no matter how kind her intentions were, it was Reyna's problem, not hers.

Reyna shook her head slightly, squeezing her eyes shut. She hopped off the roof, landing soundlessly. She was supposed to be cheering up. She briskly walked down the path, unconsciously taking turns, twisting through the city and beyond it, until she found herself in a small secluded meadow, hidden by tall grasses and reeds.

It had been her sanctuary. Her place. When she had first come to Camp Jupiter, when she had struggled to belong, to function without Hylla, this was where she escaped. She stretched out on the grass, tucking her arms beneath her head, and soon she fell asleep.

_Reyna stood in a department store, gazing at endless aisles of dresses. There was a rustling behind her, and she twisted backwards, sword at the ready. "Who's there?" she called, voice echoing off the high ceiling and tall walls._

_A beautiful woman stepped out from between the racks. "Why, darling, it's me. Aphrodite." Her voice was musical. Her appearance shifted, each face more breathtaking than the last. Reyna had to fight the urge to strangle her._

_"Aphrodite," she growled. "You tell me what—_exactly_—what you meant. Now!" Her voice rang._

_Aphrodite merely laughed. "Such spirit! Yes, well, no point in waiting, I suppose. You'll never find love with a demigod, but rather, someone else…Actually…Hmm. Yes, good. Good! Well, dear, must be off." And she disappeared in a shower of confetti, some of which landed in Reyna's hair._

_"Aughh!" Reyna was so mad, she could just _kill _that goddess! But suddenly, she had the sensation of being pulled away. The mall disappeared and Reyna woke up._

But she wasn't in her meadow. It was early morning. Reyna was lying on the hard, cold, and quite uncomfortable sidewalk. Scrambling to her feet, she scanned the landscape for any noticeable landmarks. All she found was a dusty sign that read: _Timbuktu, Kansas, pop. 63. Home to the world's largest lint ball! _

"_Malediceret vobis, _Venus! Now I'm stuck here in Timbuktu. What do I do?" Reyna realized she had just said a rhyme and continued cursing. "_Gratias multus, dea amoris! Insanitis!"_

_*Translation to Reyna's cursing: "Curse you, Venus! Now I'm stuck here in Timbuktu. What do I do?" "Thanks a lot, goddess of love! You are crazy!"_

Reyna didn't actually care that she probably shouldn't call a goddess crazy. It was her own fault, for dumping her here; leaving her—Her ranting was interrupted by a voice.

"Hey," it said. 'It' being the voice of a bemused-looking guy. He wore scruffy jeans and a T-shirt that read, _Keep Calm and Drink Some Coffee._ Then in smaller print, it said,_ House of Coffee, Manhattan, New York_. His dark hair was swept over his kind-looking brown eyes. "Are you okay?"

Reyna was shocked. "Wait, you're asking _me_ if _I_ am okay. Didn't I just appear out of nowhere and start cursing in a foreign language? Why haven't you put your psychiatrist on speed dial?"

He laughed. "Dude, things like this have been happening to me my whole life. Once I saw this teenager jump off the Saint Louis Arch after fighting some sort of flaming, spear-throwing, gigantic Chihuahua, then walk out of the water _perfectly dry_. Trust me. I've had worse. And as for the foreign language thing, I also can speak Latin fluently. I still don't get why you happened to be cursing the goddess of love, though. You should be thanking her, meeting a guy like me, right?" He struck a ridiculous pose, and despite herself, Reyna laughed.

Then her brain caught up with her. "Wait—guy—Saint Louis—giant Chihuahua—perfectly dry—hey, Annabeth told me something like—oh, it must have been Percy. And Latin—" she looked the guy up and down "well, you must be a mortal who can see through the Mist. And as for Venus, of _course_ I'm cursing her. I mean, not because of you, it's just, I'm praetor. I can't randomly disappear like that, people will wonder what happened."

"You know the guy who jumped off the Arch?" He seemed impressed.

"Yeah, he's a demigod son of Poseidon," she said, then clamped her hands over her mouth. "Oh— Eímai énas i̱líthios! Ti i̱líthio láthos! Tó̱ra xérei, den boró̱ Na páo̱ píso̱ kai Na tous po̱! Eímai praítora, den páo̱ gýro̱ kánei ta prágmata ópo̱s af̱tó! Eímai énas i̱líthios! Katára stóma mou! Aughh, Afrodíti̱! Vrízeis! Vrízeis! Pó̱s bóreses? Katastrépsei ti̱ zo̱í̱ mou , tóte , kai na katastrépsei ti̱n kariéra mou, enó̱ eíste se af̱tó . Dýo pouliá me mia pétra, skeftí̱kate! Loipón, egó̱ den tha thései ypopsi̱fióti̱ta gia af̱tó! O̱, # $ %! kai eíste akóma edó̱ ! Ti káneis? Eímai san kápoio eídos tou freak show sas? Vrízeis! AUGH! Cheiróteri̱. I̱méra. Apó. Mou. Zo̱í̱. Oh—" Here she broke off, apparently remembering that the man was still standing there. He was taking the whole ordeal very calmly.

"No," he said.

"No what?" Reyna asked, caught off guard.

"No, I don't think you're some sort of freak show."

"How did you know what I was—oh wait, let me guess, you can speak Greek too?"

"Yep."

Reyna groaned.

_*Translation to Reyna's Greek: I am such an idiot! What a stupid mistake! Now he knows, I can't go back and tell them! I'm praetor; I don't go around doing things like this! I am such an idiot! Curse my mouth! Aughh, Venus! Curse you! Curse you! How could you? Ruin my life, then, and ruin my career while you're at it. Two birds with one stone, you thought! Well, I won't stand for it! Oh, # $%! And you're still here! What are you doing? Am I like some sort of freak show to you? Curse you! AUGH! Worst. Day. Of. My. Life. Oh—_

"Oh," the guy said. He seemed mildly surprised. "My name is Kinley Yelnik. Please do not ask if _Holes_ was inspired by me. I've never been near any green lakes. And Sweet Feet Clyde what's-his-name is not a real person."

"What?" Reyna asked. That was the single most confusing sentence she had ever heard in her life. _I've never been near any green lakes._ It was worse than _A teenage guy jumped off the Saint Louis Arch while fighting a giant, flaming, spear-throwing Chihuahua._

"Do you know who Louis Sachar is?" Kinley asked curiously.

"Louis Cracker? Who names their kid after a snack food?"

Kinley burst out laughing. He laughed so hard tears leaked from his eyes. Nobody stared, because nobody was there to stare.

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Okay," she muttered to herself, feeling suddenly resentful. "I'll just go find someone who can help me, then."

Kinley stopped laughing and gasped for breath, wiping his eyes. "No-wait, hold on...I can-I can..." he gasped and huffed some more. "I can help!"

**Cool! This is actually really long, for me. Hope you liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! Wow, worst updater ever, right? SORRY! Hopefully now that it's summer I'll be a bit better, I've been relatively busy and stressed due to multiple extremely important projects plus finals. Yay. Anyways, in response to reviews: Thank you, Katherington! And no, DJ3K, the story is not over…**

"Okay," Reyna said guardedly, cautiously. Secretly she was liking this Kinley person more and more, but she also had her pride. Hey, it was an honest concern.

Kinley mopped at his eyes with a handkerchief, which had magically appeared in his hands. _Who uses a handkerchief? That only happens in books_, thought Reyna, and was surprised to find she felt affectionate towards this confident, odd, handsome boy. Then she blushed to realize that she thought he was handsome.

Kinley gave one last gasp of laughter, then he gave Reyna a bright, surprisingly disarming smile. "Come on," he said, and began walking.

"Where are we going?" Reyna asked, falling into step beside him. It felt easy. Natural, like she had been doing it her whole life.

"I have a friend," he replied, then pressed his lips together. He drew his hand across his mouth and pretended to lock it and throw the key away, a childish gesture that would have seemed weird on anyone else but just made Kinley look more…_Kinley_. It was the thing she liked best about him, she realized. He was so confident, so himself. Others created illusions, acted differently, showed off—well, maybe he was showing off. _I hope he is_, Reyna thought. She liked him, and wanted him to like her. The thought made her blush again. She pressed a cool hand to her cheek.

Lost in thought, Reyna didn't notice when they reached the house and almost tripped on the front step. Kinley attempted to catch her and instead tripped over his own two feet. They fell in a tangle of limbs. Reyna's cheeks were on fire.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"'S okay," Kinley replied easily. Just as he raised his hand to knock, he said, "I should warn you, this friend isn't human." He knocked and the door flew open.

Reyna shrieked. _"Kinley Yelnik!"_ she screamed.

Kinley looked confused. "What?"

"You really couldn't be bothered to tell me that your friend is a Hyperborean?!"

The Hyperborean scratched its head. "Kinley," it rumbled. "Who your new friend?"

"Hey, Temp," he replied, craning his neck to look up at the giant blue…well, giant. "This is Reyna. Say hello to Tempestas, Reyna."

"Good afternoon," Reyna said distractedly. "Kinley. Seriously. I am not joking. What the heck is it—I mean, he—doing here?"

Kinley grinned. "Temp, can we come inside?"

Temp smiled. "Kinley and girlfriend come inside now."

Kinley bowed his head jokingly towards Reyna. "Ladies first," he said grandly. Reyna swatted him on the arm as she stepped through the doorway.

"Whoa," she breathed. What looked like an ordinary house from the outside was really a huge house. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't a house—it was a portal of some sort to Alaska. Reyna recognized the glaciers.

Kinley came up behind her. "Pretty cool, huh? Pun intended."

He was right. Now that Reyna had gotten over her initial shock, she was shivering. Very hard. "How do we get back?" she shouted over the wind.

Kinley went white. "Shoot. I shut the door."

Reyna groaned. "Thanks a lot, Kinley. What do we do now?"

Kinley bit his lip thoughtfully. "Well, how did you get to Timbuktu?"

Reyna snorted. "Aphrodite."

"Well, can you, like, summon her or something?"

"I don't have the gods on speed dial, idiot. Besides, won't Tempestas get mad?"

"Nah, he's fine. He's with his buddies. I doubt he'll even notice we're gone." They looked over at Temp. He was sitting and fishing with some other blue-bottomed Hyperboreans.

Reyna turned back to Kinley and crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, then. That takes care of Temp, now what about us?"

"I am sticking by my previous suggestion."

"I told you, Kinley. You can't go around just summoning gods!"

Reyna looked at Kinley. His eyes were wide and he was staring at something behind her. "Oh really?"

Reyna whirled around. There stood Aphrodite. She was examining her nails. "I heard my name?" she said expectantly.

Reyna rolled her eyes. "You got me into this, Aphrodite. Now get us out of here!"

"Us?" Aphrodite asked. "Interesting."

Reyna blushed furiously. "Well, I can't leave Kinley here."

Aphrodite looked slyly at Reyna. "On the first name basis, are we?"

Reyna felt like throwing a temper tantrum. "Gods, why are you so _frustrating_?!"

"Part of my nature, dear," Aphrodite replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Kinley stepped forwards and put a hand on Reyna's shoulder; Reyna had forgotten he was there. "Excuse me, ma'am. Could you just do your magic bit and get us back home?"

Aphrodite winked. "If that's the way you want it!" And they were standing back in the field where Reyna had begun.

"Where are we?" Kinley asked. His hand was still resting on her shoulder. Reyna was suddenly hyperaware of his touch, the warmth of his hand, his calloused fingertips.

"Um…" Reyna never said um. _Get yourself together_, she thought sternly. "We're at Camp Jupiter."

"Where's that?"

"Home, for me at least," Reyna said carefully. She turned towards Kinley. He was blushing in the dim evening light.

"Reyna?" he said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Um, well. Um, I really like you. And I'd like to get to know you a bit better, you know, when we don't have to deal with Aphrodite. So, um, would you like to go out and, um, get coffee sometime?"

Reyna beamed. "Definitely!"

Kinley grinned back. He slipped his hand into hers. And for the first time in years, Reyna felt free.

**Hope you liked it! I'll probably do one more chapter, a sort of epilogue, and then we'll be done. Thanks for reading! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay! I decided that I should just power through and finish so that I can get to my other stories, namely Twin Terrors, which I haven't updated in forever. I forgot, last chapter, but thank you Vanilla555 for the follow! Enjoy, everyone, and THANK YOU!**

NINE MONTHS LATER

Reyna tugged her hair into a quick ponytail, grabbed her keys, and rushed outside. She was late for her date in the park with Kinley.

She flat-out sprinted to the park, but she was only mildly winded as she collapsed (purely for theatrical effects) on the picnic blanket Kinley had spread out on the grass.

"Hey, Reyna," Kinley laughed.

"Hi," she gasped. Kinley leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Hungry?" he asked.

Reyna nodded vigorously and sat up eagerly. Kinley laughed again and unpacked the basket. For a few minutes they chewed in silence. Then Kinley swallowed and cleared his throat.

"Reyna?"

"Yeah?"

"Want some water?"

"Sure." He handed her a bottle. "Thanks."

She drank. He watched her drink. Then he seemed to steel himself. He cleared his throat again. "Reyna?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you…go for a walk with me?"

"Sure." He stood, and, offering her a hand, pulled her up beside him. Reyna noticed that his hand was sweaty. Suddenly he cleared his throat again. Reyna looked at him. He had gotten down on one knee.

Reyna's eyes widened. Kinley fumbled in his pocket for a moment and came up with a small box. He opened it. Inside glimmered a narrow silver band with a glittering green gem set in the center.

"Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano," he said, and a shiver ran through Reyna. "I love you. Will you marry me?"

It wasn't a fancy speech. It wasn't long or particularly eloquent. But it was Kinley to the core. And she loved him for it.

"Yes!"

**Aww…that was really sweet, if I do say so myself. Thank you for reading and I hope you liked the story!**


End file.
